INTRODUCTORY NOTE THE HOSPITAIS CIVIS DE LISBOA (HCL), (CIVIL HOSPITALS OF LISBON) are a group of seven hospitals in various parts of the city that have come together following the oldest, SĂŁo JosĂŠ. Together they can be considered legitimate heirs to the privileges and traditions previously belonging to the Todos-os-Santos Royal Hospital, and through their shared administrative and professional careers, they have remained linked by strong cultural ties. Due to historical circumstances, some of them were installed in convents or religious colleges that were available or that, for political reasons, had been possessed by the State. Their artistic and architectural heritage can only therefore be understood by bearing this fact in mind. The collection of existing tiles in four of them is quite revealing of a past that has left traces of their use before becoming hospitals. Numerous iconographic features identify cults and devotions related to the religious orders that inhabited some of the buildings and that, for various reasons, were dispossessed of their property. Due to these various aspects, it seemed appropriate to precede the description of the HCL tile work with an introduction providing the necessary historical and cultural references for a full understanding of their worth. Moreover, the story of institutions that have played such an important caring and scientific role would not be complete without referring to the medical and administrative aspects that have marked their development most. This historical introduction begins with Todos-os-Santos Hospital, which preceded the HCL in providing the population of Lisbon with healthcare and which marked a high point
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